Perhaps if the movie had been called "Joe Smith" and if it were about an ordinary average schlep who dies, I would consider it impressive. There are many great films which deal with the tragic irony of a tedious and banal death.
But in this case, the director takes an inherently powerful story and reduces it to the mundane. Van Gogh? Who was he? He certainly wasn't the guy they showed in this movie. I have to strongly agree with the other reviewer who said that the title of this movie kills it. It's not about Van Gogh; not even close.
So next I considered that perhaps the director purposely chose a famous subject and purposely wove a creative retelling of history, much like Forman's masterpiece AMADEUS. The funny thing is, this technique only works if you have something creative to depict. But if your intent is to beat history into dullness, there's nothing creative, impressive or even interesting about it.
I watched this movie because I was expecting to see an insightful peek into the final days of one of the world's most passionate and cryptic artists. Instead I found a boring showcase of some pretentious French director's visually masturbatory work. Film school nerds may be impressed, but not me. And I doubt any painters, historians or poets were impressed either. Chalk this one up as another esoteric little waste of film.
PLEASE skip this movie and go watch BALLADE O SOLDATE (1959) instead. Now there's a fantastic film depicting the final, realistic days of an anonymous young man. And it didn't step on any history books, either.
But in this case, the director takes an inherently powerful story and reduces it to the mundane. Van Gogh? Who was he? He certainly wasn't the guy they showed in this movie. I have to strongly agree with the other reviewer who said that the title of this movie kills it. It's not about Van Gogh; not even close.
So next I considered that perhaps the director purposely chose a famous subject and purposely wove a creative retelling of history, much like Forman's masterpiece AMADEUS. The funny thing is, this technique only works if you have something creative to depict. But if your intent is to beat history into dullness, there's nothing creative, impressive or even interesting about it.
I watched this movie because I was expecting to see an insightful peek into the final days of one of the world's most passionate and cryptic artists. Instead I found a boring showcase of some pretentious French director's visually masturbatory work. Film school nerds may be impressed, but not me. And I doubt any painters, historians or poets were impressed either. Chalk this one up as another esoteric little waste of film.
PLEASE skip this movie and go watch BALLADE O SOLDATE (1959) instead. Now there's a fantastic film depicting the final, realistic days of an anonymous young man. And it didn't step on any history books, either.